Cone-beam reconstruction for a C-arm CT system

Discusses reconstruction issues for a C-arm cone-beam CT system, intended for a medical integrated system for interventional procedures. Due to the speed requirement, data truncation and unstable orbit, we select a Feldkamp algorithm to reconstruct the cone beam projections. The aim of this study is to optimize the acquisition and to evaluate practical reconstruction algorithms. The studies are based on data generated by forward-projecting a set of fine-sampled volumetric CT data. We concentrate on evaluating: (1) artifacts caused by short-scan acquisition; (2) artifacts caused by the presence of metal objects, such as surgical screws and tools; (3) artifacts caused by data truncation in the transaxial direction; (4) possible image degradation caused by an unstable orbit.